Three Helps


"MOTHER, I shouldn't think God would

punish children for doing wrong, when they

can't help it," said Jamie, who sat looking out

of the window a long time, thinking. "Can't

help it!" said his mother. "No," said Jamie,

"I don't think they can."

"Isn't it because they don't use God's helps

to do right?" asked his mother. "God's

helps!" said Jamie. "What?"

"He has given them a guide-book, in the

first place. It clearly tells the right way and

the wrong way, and where they lead to, one

to heaven and the other to hell. If anybody

consults that book, they can't mistake about the

way," said his mother. "Is it the Bible you

mean?" asked Jamie.

"Yes," she answered, "and lest we should

get in the dark, or puzzled about the meaning

of our guide-book, God has given another help,

that is, his Holy Spirit, which, he says, will

open the eyes of the blind, and will guide you

into all truth not part way, and then leave

you to get along as you can, but guide you into

all truth, that you need make no mistake and

have no excuse for going wrong." "But,"

said Jamie, "how can you get the Holy Spirit?

I can read my Bible, because it's in my very

hands." "God will give you the Holy Spirit,

if you ask him for it," said his mother. "He

says, Ask, and you shall receive. The Bible

also says the Holy Spirit helps our infirmities."

"I don't know what that means," said Jamie

quickly. "When we see a person weakly,

sickly, and not able to do what he wants to,

we say, he is infirm, he needs help. God sees

how we stumble, and go back, and miss the

right way, how weak we are; he therefore offers

his Holy Spirit to make us strong." "That

is wonderful," said Jamie, "how God knows

everything."

"Besides all this," said his mother, "he has

put a little voice inside you, which, when you

are inclined to go wrong, says, No, no, no! And

when you do right, says, Yes, yes, my dear

child, very sweetly indeed." "A voice!" said

Jamie 'that still small voice my teacher tells

about, and says it is conscience!"

"Do you not think, Jamie," asked his mother

seriously, "that God has done his part to

make little boys, and girls too, do right not

only to know the right, but to do right also?"

"Mother," answered Jamie after a few moments'

thinking, "I think God has. It isn't

God's fault, I'm sure. Then why don't they?"

"Because they don't mind God's helps,"

said his mother. "If they would study their

guide-book, ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten

and help them, and hearken to that kind little

voice inside, I am sure no child would go astray."

Tears came into the little boy's eyes, and

drop after drop ran down his red cheeks.

"Mother," said he, "we've got no excuse for

being wicked. God is good, very good."





Child's Paper.